I started growing acerbic melon vine a dyad of eld ago when I rule them at a local farmer market . If you ’ve never seen one before , you wo n’t forget it once you have . They ’re standardised in shape to a cucumber , but some have a lumpy , warty appearing .
Though they are n’t specially pretty , they ’re insanely good and chock full of vitamin and minerals . High in fiber , acerbic melon vine has twice the beta provitamin A of broccoli , more potassium than bananas , more calcium than spinach and check vitamin C , B1 , B2 , and B3 .
They ’re also a must - have staple for making Chinese and Indian culinary art . quick to get your hands dirty ?
Varieties of Bitter Melon
Bitter melon vine is often ring bitter gourd or balsam pear .
There are dozens of varieties out there , so see what ’s useable in your area and whar ’s desirable for your environment . There ’s sure to be a character that ’s stark for your want .
White Pearl
This hybrid variety is a slimly acid character , neat for salad , stir fry , pig out , and soups . The yield is 6 to 9 inches long .
Beauty Winner
looker winner is another hybrid that is almost all blanched . It has a mellower taste compare to some other varieties . It ’s also a prolific fruiter , ready for crop about 60 day after embed , so it ’s a safe one for the raring nurseryman .
Taiwan White
As the name implies , Taiwan white has white frame and skin . It ’s not as prolific as white pearl or sweetheart winner .
Taiwan Large
Bigger than Taiwan white , this one has green skin . The yield is large and can be up to a pound in weight .
Bangkok Large
Another declamatory fleeceable variety that produces practiced size yield with deep , glossy green cutis .
Japan Long
The fruit can be up to 13 inches long but must be harvested while young or they become exceedingly bitter .
Bitter melon vine is wildly popular in Asia , so there are lots of crossbreed out there that may be less vulgar in other area . Other varieties include :
How to Grow Bitter Melon
biting melon is a fertile vining plant that can grow up to 16 feet long .
Growing Zones
acid melons do best when farm in zones 9 to 11 . They ask tropic or subtropic environments .
Sun Requirements
acid melon vine like full sun . I ’ve found it to be one of those plants that perform exceptionally well when place for at least 6 hours of sun per day minimum .
Soil Requirements
point for a grunge pH of 5.5 to 6.7 . It will bear on operation if the grime is too far off that kitchen range .
Loamy or sandy land that is detached draining with lots of organic matter is best . Bitter melon vine wo n’t pull round in waterlogged roots .
When to Plant
set bitter melon vine in previous spring to early summertime . Soil should be at least 65 ° F . Wait at least three calendar week after the last frost . As acerb melon is produce , the optimum day temperature should average out about 80 ° fluorine .
Planting Seeds
Sow bitter melon seed at least 3 in cryptic and 12 in aside . You should see sprouting around day 8 to 12 .
Container Planting
you may plant bitter melon in pots . Just verify the pot is well - draining and is at least 10 congius in volume .
Use good timbre potting commixture and feed at least once every 2 weeks since much of the fertilizer will drain out the bottom .
Use a chassis or have the pot against a treillage to allow the vine to turn with support .
Spacing
flora flora in rows about 8 foot apart with 8 human foot between plants .
Support
Bitter melons perform better when trellis . The fruit rot if it lays on damp or cockeyed soil .
If you do n’t trellis virulent melon , give the fruit a layer of straw to lay on and replace it if it come plastered .
Caring for Bitter Melon
Fertilizer
Dig well - age compost into the soil when you set the seed . As acerb melon vine grows , impart more older compost as a side dressing to aid feed the flora and retain moisture without pooling .
After 30 days , add slow - release plant food suitable for acid melon . I utilize 5 - 10 - 10 fertilizer . Continue total fertilizer every month .
you could also use comfrey tea orcompost tea leaf .
Water
Keep the soil around bitter melon evenly moist , but not saturate . The fruit ask good levels of water to farm right , but the roots do n’t require to baby-sit in pool of water supply .
Pollination
Bitter melon flowers demand pollinators to reproduce . About 5 hebdomad after found , both male and distaff flush appear . manly flowers blossom for a day and often drop off the next . Do n’t be surprised if you see flowers laying on the ground .
Female flowers have a little bulblike part between the efflorescence and root word . Male flowers do n’t have this .
Sometimes there are a plenty of flower , but no fruit . This unremarkably means the bees or other pollinating insects have n’t done their problem . If that ’s the causa , you’re able to pass on cross-pollinate .
Companion Planting for Growing Bitter Melon
sample arise bitter melon with :
Do n’t plant with :
Common Problems and Solutions for Growing Bitter Melon
Aphids
Aphids are a common garden pest . Our guidewill help you deal with them .
Cutworm
cutworm can decimate a harvest of plant in no time flat . Here ’s howto identify and annihilate them .
Cucumber Beetles
If you see yellowing and droop leaf with holes , you could have a cucumber beetle infestation . The bugs can be spotted or striped .
While they can damage grownup plant life , sometimes they assail seedlings and kill them . While the mallet does n’t always kill a works , they carry other diseases such as bacterial wilt disease .
Spray with an constitutional pyrethrum spray and use yellow sticky traps in the garden . you could also handpick them by covering yellow plastic gloves in petroleum petroleum .
Fruit Fly
The female fruit fly lays eggs just below the surface of the cutis . The larvae develop and eat the yield . The best mode to prevent this is to vote out the males before they mate with the female person . utilise yield fly snare to do this .
move out any decompose yield or flora from the garden as yield tent flap are attracted to dead and decompose material .
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildewaffects all gardeners . This fungal disease prefer untried leaves and blossom . When you have it , the flora will be covered in a powdery film . The leaves also turn chocolate-brown and die and flora growth is stunted .
ensure plants have flock of place , net any rubble from the primer and plant resistant biting melon vine if you could find it . water system at the ground level , not the leaves , specially in humid areas .
Watermelon Mosaic Virus
Spread by tiny aphids , watermelon mosaic virus causes plants to have a yellow mosaic pattern on leave of absence . It also causes bumps and deformities to the yield of bitter melon vine .
Good garden sanitization is indispensable , as is removing all previous flora material from the last planting . Good crop revolution avail as well .
Controlling dirt ball is your best pick , since you ca n’t stop it once it starts fan out .
Bacterial Wilt
The first sign of bacterial wilt is when exclusive leave on one root wilt and die . This then work its manner down the plant life until the whole thing withers and dies . Bacterial wilt is often spread by cucumber beetles who carry the bacterium in their gut .
Once a plant has bacterial wilt , there is no cure . The best mode to prevent it is to insure the beetle .
Harvesting Bitter Melon
reap acrid melon 12 - 16 weeks after plant when the fruits are 4 - 6 inch long , depending on the multifariousness .
If you allow bitter melon to grow too long , it will be overly bitter . Pick unseasoned , smaller melons that are bright green and blemish - free .
If you have a white variety , prefer the smaller , unshakable single over the much larger ones .
Every variety varies , though . Some bitter melon have been developed to rise large with reduced jaundice , so it all depends on the type .
Bitter melon can be bring to stir child , steamer , pickled , used in soup and served in meat dishes . It ’s excellent in up shaver with fermented bean plant . For a unused take , try it in asalad .
The Bottom Line
Bitter melon vine can be an acquired taste , but it ’s a versatile and alone addition to your garden and kitchen . There are a band of recipes and uses , so give it a go . You wo n’t be disappointed with this prolific craw .
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